Ford has announced it will cut 800 jobs in the UK by the end of 2027. The move is part of another major restructuring in Europe due to concerns for the health of its passenger car business, which “has incurred significant losses in recent years,” the company admits.
When announcing the cuts, Ford called the industry’s shift to electrification, and new competition – presumably Chinese electric carmakers – “highly disruptive”. The company also cited demand for electric cars being lower than expected, which has led it to adjust production plans for the all-new Explorer SUV and Capri coupe-SUV that were launched this year.
Ford plans to axe 4,000 jobs in total across Europe, primarily in Germany and the UK, within the next three years. It’s promising there will be “minimal reductions” in other markets.
The company currently has more than 5,500 employees in the UK, and we’re told the cuts will not affect its Dagenham engine factory or Halewood transmission plant. However, Ford has other facilities and offices in the UK, which could all be impacted to varying degrees.
The newly announced cuts are on top of the roughly 1,300 UK jobs Ford axed just last year, the majority of which came at its research and development facility in Dunton, Essex. These were part of a separate restructuring effort that saw Ford cut 3,800 jobs across Europe.